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December 19, 2006

The Faith Experiment

I am about to make a big assumption. That assumption is that you are probably not satisfied with the level of faith that you have in your life. You can probably think of a lot of things that would be different if you just had a little more faith.

The truth is that each of us already has a lot of faith. God has given us more faith than we can imagine. The problem for most of us is that we don't really know how to use it properly. It's unlikely that your parents were people who had a lot of faith in God, so there was no way that they could instill a lot of faith in you.

If your parents were like most people in the world, they probably had a lot of fears and doubts, and their lives were the result of the decisions that they made based on those fears. If you were fortunate enough to have parents who had a lot of faith in God, and they passed that faith on to you, then you are a very rare person.

But based on the assumption that your faith-life isn't what you would like it to be, the question that I would like to ask is: Are you willing to change that?

What I am proposing is a Faith Experiment. The purpose is for everyone who participates to actively pursue a greater level of faith in his or her life. It's about confronting the doubts that we have that have kept our faith from being as effective as it could be.

In other words, this is about a life changing experiment. My hope is that God will become so evident in your life that it will never be the same, and that your prayers will be bold and full of confidence in Almighty God.

One of the things that I realized some time ago was that I didn't really have that much of a problem with the things in the Bible that I didn't understand. My problem was that I didn't really believe the things that I did understand, and consequently they weren't having that much of an effect on me.

For example, Mark 11:24 says, "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." I fully understand that verse. It's clear that Jesus is telling me that I can have whatever I ask for, if I will just believe. His statement is pretty straightforward. He isn't trying to say something else, He is simply telling us what to expect when we pray.

But the question for me is: Do I really believe it? How about you? Do you believe that verse? And by that I don't mean do you believe that it's true from the perspective of mentally accepting it. What I mean is: Do you believe it in such a way that it has set you free and changed your life? Are you receiving everything that you ask for?

In this experiment we will be learning how to use the most powerful force known to man, our faith. By giving us faith, God literally entrusted us with the power to move mountains. Through faith in God we will be able to change our lives in the most incredible ways, and experience God and his blessings like never before. So hold on to your hats :-)

It is probably necessary to have a disclaimer that says: You are taking part at your own risk and no one else will accept any responsibility for your actions as a result of your participation. You are on your own and will have to give an account to God for what you do as part of this experiment.

Some reasons you might want to take part in this experiment are:

You want God to open your eyes to the power of prayer

You want a deeper, more vital relationship with God

There are long-standing problems in your life that you want to overcome

You have specific, positive changes that you want to make in your life

You want to experience God's love

You want to be set free from fear and doubt

You want to unleash your faith

I do want to give you a few of ground rules:

1. Be wise. Do not take any rash or foolish steps. Don't quit your job; sell all your possessions, or anything else that could be too big of a leap of faith. We are here to take small steps of faith and see God at work. When it comes to money, be a good steward. If it involves your health, be sure to see a doctor.

2. Be safe. Do not do anything that would be harmful or detrimental to yourself or anyone else. Always look to God to do things in ways that are positive, healthy, and for the good of everyone concerned.

3. Don't covet. This isn't about asking God to give you someone else's job, car, house, or anything else. God is a loving Creator, so when He answers our prayers He wants to do something new and wonderful just for us. He also does things in ways that bring blessing to everyone and not just the person praying.

And some general guidelines:

1. Start small. It is the small, specific steps of faith that we take that often present the biggest challenges for us. An example might be to ask God to bring you $5 in some unexpected, but positive and healthy way, and for the good of everyone concerned. I actually find it harder to believe God for some small specific answer than for a really big one. Probably because the big one is too hard to imagine so it wouldn't surprise me if nothing happened. But with small requests, my faith is really tested because I can easily imagine getting an answer - oddly enough, that scares me. The fear probably comes from a bit of a reluctance to actually experience God (similar to when angels appear and their first words are always, "Don't be afraid.").

2. Be flexible. When we pray we are to ask God for what we want, but we are not to tell Him when He has to do something, or how He has to do it. We want to be open for God to surprise us with how He answers our prayers.

3. Focus on yourself. We really don't know what is best for someone else, and God will not violate someone's free will no matter how much faith we have. So for this experiment, focus on things that pertain to you and you alone. It's not that you can't ask God to reach a loved one that doesn't know Him, but anytime we start praying for others, we run into the limits of the other person's faith and will.

4. This is not a test. When we test faith there is an underlying assumption that it may not work. By having a question about whether or not it works, we actually create doubt that then undermines our faith. When it comes to this experiment, it's all about suspending any disbelief that we have, simply taking God at His word, and knowing that He will answer our prayers. This is the most challenging part of the experiment because it requires us to stop questioning God and simply believe Him. That is something that will be new for most of us. Again, if questions arise, enter a comment on this post and we will look to God's word for answers.

Also take the time to enter your experiences as comments to this post. It will be a great encouragement to everyone to see how God is answering our prayers.

If any questions come up, please enter them here as comments, or send me an email (see the link below my picture in the left-hand column). I know that God will lead us to the answers that will help us overcome any doubts that we have. He wants us to have faith in Him, so He will teach us how to do that.

If you are willing to join in this experiment, just start by praying:

Dear God, I know that my heart is full of fears and doubts, but I also know that you want me to have faith in You. Help me to be bold in my prayers and to be unshaken in my confidence in You. Give me specific prayers that will exercise my faith, and if any doubts arise, lead me to the promises in Your word that will enable me to overcome those doubts. God I want to see more of You in my life. Glorify Your name through me. In Jesus' name, amen.